The Good Life Part 7
November 21, 2024
The Good Life Part 7
Ultimately, we are in charge of our lives and make them whatever we choose. Of course, we are all affected by whichever government controls our nation, to weather and climate conditions, and illnesses. Yes, we make choices, and sometimes the things that happen to us, good and not so good, have nothing to do with our choices. But regardless of the overarching reality of life, we choose our responses to it.
I was strongly affected by a 1997 movie named "Life is Beautiful" starring Roberto Benigni, who plays a Jewish/Italian man during the Nazi occupation of Italy. The man falls in love with a non-Jewish lady, and they have a little boy together. The Nazis deport the family to a concentration camp, and the holocaust is upon them. The movie shows how beautifully the man insulates his son from the horrors of their new life and gives him a life that is beautiful.
He does this by pretending that the situation is a game and that they will receive a tank if they win. The movie shows how the father pours love and hope into the child so he will focus on the beautiful things about life instead of the surrounding tragedies. He is engaged with his child, ensuring that he laughs, smiles, and sees the best in everything. This man's inestimable love for his child and wife shows that love can bring happiness and joy even amid pain, loss, anxiety, and uncertainty.
Ask any prisoner of war survivor: Life is all about how we frame it, regardless of the circumstances. But to frame a life as something truly beautiful and good when the conditions are treacherous, takes something unshakable. What is unshakable? The unshakable are the things which connect us to the source of love regardless of any circumstance we find ourselves in. This means not only love for others but love for ourselves. The qualities of our souls connect us to inestimable love. Nothing else except the divine within, gives us the good life, though many things, as we have reflected upon this week, promise to provide it.
So many times, we think that we cannot touch the face of God. Some believe that our prayers bounce off the ceiling. (I felt like that a couple of times in my life.) However, we forget the proof of God's love for us lies inside our very hearts, bodies, and souls right now! I believe that this is what Christ came to show us: that we are cherished beyond our comprehension and are children of God. As children, we are not neglected; we are part of something far greater than ourselves. Christ walked among us to show us how precious we are. He accepted us even at our worst. He asked us to look within for the kingdom and its joy and not look for it elsewhere. He showed us what Good Life is, and said that it was not the easiest path, but the most rewarding.
Spiritual practice: Find the movie "Life is Beautiful” and watch it. Journal the feelings it gives you. Ask yourself if you are more in touch with hope and love after having seen the movie. If you are more in touch with joy and love, what were the specific parts of the film that elicited these feelings in you?
Self-inquiry: In light of today's reflection on the good life, how will you bring beauty into what could be considered an ugly situation?
Dear God,
My heart was filled with love when I saw that father protecting his little boy and wife even when all their lives were in extreme danger. My heart cries for all those who are now in that same situation. My prayers go out to them, and I am convinced you hear all our prayers. Amen
